Burial-gasket



No. 623,806. Patented Apr. 25, I899, C. E. MYERS.

BURIAL GASKET.

(Application filed Sept. 20, 1897.)

(No Model.) 7 2 Sheets-Sheet I.

WITNESSES 6% W @fl% By No. 623.806. Patented Apr. 25, I899.

G. E. MYERS.

BURIAL GASKET.

(Application filed Sept. 20. 1897.)

(No Model.) 2 Shoots-Sheet 2.

UNTTTn STATES PATENT- @FTTQE.

I CHARLES E. MYERS, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN.

BU RlAL-CASKET.

SPEGJIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 623,806, dated April 25, 1899.

Application filed September 20, 1897. Serial No. 652,236. No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, CHARLES E. MYERS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Detroit,in' the county of Wayne, State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Burial-Caskets; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to burial-caskets; and it consists in the construction and arrangement of parts hereinafter fully set forth, and pointed out particularly in the claims.

The object of the invention is to provide a burial-casket having the appearance when closed of a state-casket and in which the construction is such as topresent the appearance of a couch-casket when open.

A further object is to provide for forming the top panel in two divisions, so as to fold outward in opposite directions, and for firmly uniting and locking the several hinged parts of the casket, so as form perfectly-fitting miter-joints at the corners in such manner as to brace the united parts and produce a strong and secure construction when the casket is closed, at the same timepresentin g a fine appearance.

These objects are attained by the construction illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a plan view of my improved casket closed. Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal section on line 2 2 of Fig. 1 and showing by dotted lines the outwardly-folding end portions. Fig. 8 is a plan view of the casket,

showing the top panel and the hinged sidesv folded outwardly. Fig. 4 is a perspective view showing one section of the top panel folded backward and maintained in an inclined position and the opposite section of the top panel and the hinge'd section of one side folded outwardly. Fig. 5 is a transverse section through the casket closed, showing by dotted lines the position of parts in Fig. 4. Figs. 6 and 7 are details in section of the means employed for lockin g together the sections of the top panel.

Referring tothe letters of reference, A designates the body or shell of the casket, which is provided with a suitable base A. The four walls of the body of the casket rise perpendicularly and terminate at a point a, from which point the complementary portion of the walls of the body are formed of the riserinolding B, which extends upward'and forms thetop molding of the casket-shell.

The casket-body is cut through horizontally at a point about midway of its height, forming the upper side sections 0 and the upper end sections 0. The upper side sections 0 are hinged at c to the lower part of the sides of the body, and the upper end sections 0 are hinged at c to the lower end sections of the body, said hinged sections being adapted to fold outwardly, so as to. drop the sides and ends to a point on a line with the horizontal division of the shell. To permit said hinged sections of the sidesand ends of the shellto fold outwardly, it is necessary that said sections be divided at the corners. This division 1 accomplished by means of a miterjoint formed by cutting through the risermolding and a portion of the shell down to the line of the horizontal division of the body.

This cut is made at the corners of the body at the point of union of the ends and sides and at an angle to the line of their horizontal planes, producing at the extremities of said ends and sides the beveled faces I), which when said parts are folded together unite to form a miter-joint, as clearly shown at e in Figs. 1 and at.

The top panel of the casketis divided longitudinally and is comprised of two sections D, which sections are hinged at their edges, respectively, as at e, to the upper face of the molding of the hinged sections 0 of the sides, the arrangement of the parts being such that when the casket is closed and the sections D of the divided top panel are folded inward to form the top theirinner edges will 'lie contiguous, while their under faces will rest upon the upper edge of the riser-molding B, as shown in Figs. 1 and 5. The divisions D of the top panel are so hinged to the upper face Lil of the molding B as to cause the outer edges top panel and by folding outwardly the other division of said panel and the hinged division of the side of the body to which it is attached, as clearly shown in Fig. l, and, if desired, the foot end of the casket may be dropped or folded outwardly, or both sides and both ends may be folded outwardly, thereby reducing the casket to' about one-half of its normal height.

By means of the union of the hinged sections of the sides and ends of the casket through the miter-joint a firm support is afforded said hinged sections one by the other, as the beveled ends of said hinged parts when brought together form a support and stop which braces said hinged parts and maintains them perfectly in place.

For the purpose of securing the hinged sections of the ends and sides of the casket when brought together Ijemploy a locking means, which consists of hooks j, which are pivoted adjacent to the inner corners of the hinged end sections and are adapted to engage in suitable eyes f, attached to the inner corners of the hinged side sections 0, so that when the hinged sections of the ends and sides of the casket are in a vertical or normal position they may be securely locked together at the corners by said hooks and eyes to firmly retain said parts in said position, the arrangement being such as to enable any of the hinged sections to be readily folded outwardly by disengaging said locking-hooks, as will be well understood. \Vhile I have shown the hooks and eyes described for maintaining the hinged sections in their normal position, I

may employ any other suitable locking means for this purpose without departing from the spirit of my invention.

Vhen the hinged sections of the sides and ends of the casket are secured in their normal position and the divisions D of the top panel are folded inwardly under the top of the easket, as shown in Fig. 1, I provide for locking the meeting edges of said sections D of the top panel by means of an arm-(Z, (shown in Figs. 6 and 7,) which is adapted to normally lie in a recess E in the inner edge of one of the sections D of said panel. This arm is mounted upon a vertical stem g, which passes through the upper face of the panel and carries an actuating-knob g, through the means of which said stem may be rotated to swing said arm horizontally. The outer end of said arm is provided with a hook hand is adapted to engage the verticalstem 7t, which passes through the recess E in the adjacent edge of the opposite section of said panel, said stem carrying at its upper end a knob 7L. \Vhen the arm (Z is swung across and is caused to engage the stem or pin 71 as shown in Fig. 7, itforms a locking-bolt which firmly unites the meeting edges of the sections of said panel.

As an additional means for securing the hinged sections of the top panel when closed and for uniting more firmly the hinged end sections of the casket thereto, I employ upon the inner upper edge of the hinged end sections dowel-pins i, which are adapted to engage in suitable eyeleted sockets t" in the under edge of said panel-sections, so that when the casket is closed all of said hinged parts are firmly locked together, but in such manner as to enable them to be readily disengaged and easily folded outward to attain such shape and position of the hinged parts as may be desired.

As will be observed on referring to Fig. 1, the casket when closed presents the appearance of a state-casket of symmetrical and pleasing design and by means of the specific jointing and hinging of the several parts the casket maybe readily converted into a couchcasket,in which any desired effect may be attained by dropping the hinged sections of the sides and ends of the casketshell.

Having thus fully set forth my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a burial-casket, the combination of the casket-shell comprising the upright sides and ends surmounted by a riser-moldin g and forming straight vertical walls, said shell being divided horizontally on a medial line, the upper portion of the shell consisting of separable end and side sections which are hinged to the lower solid portion of said shell on said medial line, said upper portion of the shell being cut through at the corners downward through said straight vertical wall to said medial line, miter-joints between the meeting ends of the hinged upper sections, means for detachably uniting the hinged side and end sections at said miter-joints to maintain said hinged sections in a vertical position, the top panel divided through its longitudinal center into independent sections which are hinged at their outer edges to the tops of the opposed hinged side sections to enable said divisions of the top panel and the side sections to which they are hinged to fold outwardly together, and means for locking the hinged sections of the top panel together and to the hinged end sections of the shell when the casket is closed.

2. In a burial-casket, the combination of the body or shell comprising upright sides and ends of rectangular shape, said shell being divided horizontally on a medial line, the top portion of the shell consisting of a separable section comprising the upper portion of the ends and sides of the shell, said separable upper portion of the shell being divided at the four corners by cutting downward to said medial line at an angle to the right lines describing the body of the shell, the independthe-hinged divisions of the top panel to the hinged end sections of the shell to hold the hinged end and side sections of the shell in a vertical position when the casket is closed and .retain the meeting edges of the hinged divisions of the top panel 'in close juxtaposition.

In testimony whereof I affix my signatur in presence of two witnesses.

' CHARLES E. MYERS. Witnessesz' JAMES G. BASTUR, EDGAR S. WHEELER. 

